TIL my old boss was right about letting steel cool on its own

I was talking to a retired guy at the hardware store last week, and he said he never quenches his mild steel right after forging. He just lets it sit on the anvil until it's black. I always thought that was a waste of time, but I tried it on a set of hooks yesterday. The metal was way less stressed and way easier to file smooth. I mean, it adds maybe 15 minutes to the job, but the finish is so much better. Has anyone else switched to just air cooling for simple stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

benlewis24d ago

Yeah but @kim_martin, I find air cooling makes the finish way easier to work with.

kim_martin25d ago

My old shop teacher always said to quench mild steel right away to save time. I still do it for most projects and haven't had any problems with stress cracks.